SmackDown Countdown 2005: Kurt Angle

Share.

The Three I's: Integrity, intensity, and IGN.

By Jeremy Dunham

IGN's most popular recurring feature is back and bigger than ever! Returning for the fifth year in a row, the SmackDown Countdown is the world's coolest sneak peek at the lineup of THQ's latest installment in its line of incredibly successful wrestling videogames.

As has been expected every year, WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2006 is the largest and flashiest version of the game thus far. Not only have the online elements been improved beyond the barebones connectivity of last year, but the overall number of gaming modes has been advanced as well. Bar Room Brawls, Buried Alive Matches, and more realistic Cage confrontations are just a few of the refinements that have been made while additional upgrades to the AI, graphics, and grappling mechanics have been implemented as well.

Of course, one of the most dramatic changes this year has been to the wrestlers themselves. Not only have all their textures and polygon counts been increased over last season, but their entrances have been motion captured as well. Each grappler also has been granted two additional attribute types over last year (Hardcore and Stamina) and roughly 50% of all moves in the game have been reanimated. If that's not an improvement, we don't know what is.

While all these new features can't be experienced by our readers until SmackDown ships later this November, we're still dedicated to bringing WWE fans the best pre-release coverage they could hope for. Over the next 11 weeks, we'll be highlighting all 50 current superstars and divas as well as more than a dozen different legends from WWE history. And starting on October 10, we'll be doing two new wrestlers every weekday in addition to another special treat for SmackDown and RAW fans --customizing our Monday and Friday grapplers to match the shows from which they hail. Sound cool? Cool!

But enough with the buildup already, let's get this party started! Sit back, relax, and enjoy today's Countdown superstar, Kurt Angle!

HEIGHT: 6'2"

WEIGHT: 220 lbs

HOMETOWN: Pittsburgh, PA

From the moment Kurt Angle became an athlete, success has followed him.

He started as a football and wrestling star in his hometown of Pittsburgh, and he soon became one of the top amateur wrestlers in the entire country, winning a pair of NCAA titles at Clarion University in the rugged heavyweight division. Angle captured national attention in 1996 when he won the 220-pound freestyle wrestling competition at the Olympic Games in Atlanta. Angle's celebration photo was on the cover of USA Today, he appeared on numerous morning talk shows, and he was honored with two parades in his hometown. Angle was even given a tryout with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who at the time were looking to add a fullback to their roster.

Still, Kurt Angle would go from a local hero to a national sports-entertainment Superstar when he joined WWE. Four years after earning Olympic gold, Angle entered WWE for the first time and earned professional wrestling gold. Much like his college and Olympic careers, Angle was never satisfied until he was on top. Just weeks after entering WWE, Angle, who preached the virtues of his three I's (Integrity, Intelligence, and Intensity) won the European Championship. A short time later he earned the Intercontinental Championship and also won the 2000 King of the Ring. Still rolling, Angle then defeated The Rock at No Mercy to win the WWE Championship. Not bad for a rookie. Besides being a four-time WWE Champion, Angle's resume includes stints as United States, WWE Tag Team, and Hardcore Champion.

But perhaps Angle's most memorable accomplishment came in 2003. Angle underwent serious neck surgery in April, just weeks after losing the WWE Championship to Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania XIX. Amazingly, Angle was back on SmackDown! the first week of June. And at Vengeance on July 27, just 14 weeks after surgery, he regained the WWE Championship by forcing Lesnar to tap out.

Angle has also been a strong leader, forming Team Angle, a successful tag team featuring Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin, as well as combining Luther Reigns & Mark Jindrak. Angle even held a management position at WWE, serving as the General Manager of SmackDown! for five months in 2004. He would lose that job in dramatic fashion when Mr. McMahon fired him, and since the summer of 2004, Angle has been back on the active roster.

Kurt Angle went on to face Shawn Michaels in a dream match at WrestleMania 21. After the two Superstars put on a virtual wrestling clinic, Angle eventually made HBK tap out to the dangerous ankle lock. Everyone thought it would be the only time their paths would cross as Angle was a SmackDown! Superstar and Michaels was on RAW. But that all changed when Angle was RAW's second selection in the 2005 Draft Lottery. Angle and HBK immediately renewed their rivalry and met in the highly-anticipated rematch at Vengeance. HBK got the better of Angle this time, catching him with Sweet Chin Music. With both Superstars on RAW, WWE fans everywhere are certainly clamoring for the rubber match between these two RAW Superstars.

Angle also created the Angle Invitational on SmackDown!, where every week a local wrestler gets a chance to win Angle's Olympic Gold Medal if the hopeful can defeat, or sometimes even last just three minutes in the ring with Angle. After a long winning streak, Eugene upset Angle to become the first man to collect on his offer. However, Angle took the Gold Medal back after making Eugene tap out at SummerSlam.

After dispatching of Eugene, Angle announced his hunger to reclaim the WWE Championship. This could be bad news for the rest of the RAW roster and especially John Cena, the current belt holder.

That's it for today's installment of the SmackDown Countdown, but we'll be back again tomorrow with our next superstars. As always, please remember that all statistical attributes are considered temporary until the final version of the game ships this November, so if you end up with the game one day and things don't match up now you'll know why. In the meantime, check our table below for links to the superstars we've already covered and for hints as to who you can expect to see next. See you again real soon!